These guys should be a complete joke, just look at them. However, they're really, really good.... you just have to open your ears, and the sh*t blows you away. It's not that they're geniuses or something, but the music just moves you.

One of my hobbies is I restore or repair jukeboxes. I'm serious. I bought a box off a guy about a year ago, and it was already full of records. This record was in it. I like to crank up the bass on these jukeboxes so you can feel it, literally. I mean literally, you can feel the floor shaking a little bit!

So I'd heard this song before, but never on a jukebox, so I turned that sh*t up and selected this song. That damn bassline was making the lights dim, I'm telling you I could feel it man! It was like it was 1983 and I was in a bar with a hot chick and this jukebox blasting this song out.

I probably listened to it 10 times in a row that first time. Everything about it is mesmerizing, I love the bridge , over and over "Iii..... I'll do anything... do almost anything that you want me to...."

Infectious.

Hall & Oates are money, believe that.

All their best albums are from the 70s, but I'm happy for them that they were able to break through big in the 80s and make a lot of money. They toured hard and deserved it.

I was a teenager in the 80's so the music obviously had an impact and I have a soft spot for it (70's still favourite era though). Some albums I owned:Huey Lewis and the News - SportsMadonna - Like a VirginAustralian Crawl - The Boys Light Up, Sirocco Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USALou Reed - New SensationsAC/DC - Back in BlackMichael Jackson - Thriller.Madness - Complete Madness

Songs:She Blinded me with Science - Thomas DolbyTo Be or Not to Be - Mel Brooks

Too, too many to list. Lots of one hit wonders. I loved The Nolans album ! And The Village People's You Can't Stop the Music. I was 11 and had a crush on the construction worker Hahah! I still get teased by my family about that.

These guys should be a complete joke, just look at them. However, they're really, really good.... you just have to open your ears, and the sh*t blows you away. It's not that they're geniuses or something, but the music just moves you.

One of my hobbies is I restore or repair jukeboxes. I'm serious. I bought a box off a guy about a year ago, and it was already full of records. This record was in it. I like to crank up the bass on these jukeboxes so you can feel it, literally. I mean literally, you can feel the floor shaking a little bit!

So I'd heard this song before, but never on a jukebox, so I turned that sh*t up and selected this song. That damn bassline was making the lights dim, I'm telling you I could feel it man! It was like it was 1983 and I was in a bar with a hot chick and this jukebox blasting this song out.

I probably listened to it 10 times in a row that first time. Everything about it is mesmerizing, I love the bridge , over and over "Iii..... I'll do anything... do almost anything that you want me to...."

Infectious.

Hall & Oates are money, believe that.

Ron, are you familiar with the stuff Hall did with Robert Fripp? I've never liked H & O but this really knocks me out, Frippertronics and all:

These guys should be a complete joke, just look at them. However, they're really, really good.... you just have to open your ears, and the sh*t blows you away. It's not that they're geniuses or something, but the music just moves you.

One of my hobbies is I restore or repair jukeboxes. I'm serious. I bought a box off a guy about a year ago, and it was already full of records. This record was in it. I like to crank up the bass on these jukeboxes so you can feel it, literally. I mean literally, you can feel the floor shaking a little bit!

So I'd heard this song before, but never on a jukebox, so I turned that sh*t up and selected this song. That damn bassline was making the lights dim, I'm telling you I could feel it man! It was like it was 1983 and I was in a bar with a hot chick and this jukebox blasting this song out.

I probably listened to it 10 times in a row that first time. Everything about it is mesmerizing, I love the bridge , over and over "Iii..... I'll do anything... do almost anything that you want me to...."

Infectious.

Hall & Oates are money, believe that.

Ron, are you familiar with the stuff Hall did with Robert Fripp? I've never liked H & O but this really knocks me out, Frippertronics and all:

Holy moly! I didn't know that Fripp worked with Hall. I just listened to the song and I think it's incredible! And did anybody else notice that Daryl is doing the Crimson King hand salute in that picture?﻿

These guys should be a complete joke, just look at them. However, they're really, really good.... you just have to open your ears, and the sh*t blows you away. It's not that they're geniuses or something, but the music just moves you.

One of my hobbies is I restore or repair jukeboxes. I'm serious. I bought a box off a guy about a year ago, and it was already full of records. This record was in it. I like to crank up the bass on these jukeboxes so you can feel it, literally. I mean literally, you can feel the floor shaking a little bit!

So I'd heard this song before, but never on a jukebox, so I turned that sh*t up and selected this song. That damn bassline was making the lights dim, I'm telling you I could feel it man! It was like it was 1983 and I was in a bar with a hot chick and this jukebox blasting this song out.

I probably listened to it 10 times in a row that first time. Everything about it is mesmerizing, I love the bridge , over and over "Iii..... I'll do anything... do almost anything that you want me to...."

Infectious.

Hall & Oates are money, believe that.

Ron, are you familiar with the stuff Hall did with Robert Fripp? I've never liked H & O but this really knocks me out, Frippertronics and all:

No i'm not familiar with most of his stuff... I wish I had the time to get into all the great music I've missed out on, I don't think a lifetime's long enough to hear all the great stuff out there. I checked out the song, that's pretty good stuff.

I've been a little absent from my own thread about discovery, so in an effort to keep on top of the recommendations and the albums I've been listening to, I want to get this one out of the way. So, here's what I will say: holy sh*t. This album, you guys... this album. I'm gonna go listen to it again.

I've been a little absent from my own thread about discovery, so in an effort to keep on top of the recommendations and the albums I've been listening to, I want to get this one out of the way. So, here's what I will say: holy sh*t. This album, you guys... this album. I'm gonna go listen to it again.

I picked out Searching for the Young Soul Rebels and I was actually pretty anxious to give it a listen. And then I did. It is a great album. The music itself is pretty interesting, like a mixture of New Wave and Soul that makes total sense when you hear it. I was actually surprised to hear brass being used so extensively on album from around this time, and I really liked that. The songwriting is solid, and it's just great fun to listen to. And, damn, that "Seven Days Too Long" - I just want to listen to that over and over again. I love the way the record finishes, too. I'll definitely have to look into their two other albums from the 80s.

I've tried listening to a few of their songs on YouTube before and really none of it did much for me. They seem like a band I should like, with their jangly guitars, interesting songwriting, and 60's sensibilities, but I just got nothing. So, anyway, I tried to be fair and give them a chance by listening to their debut. "Radio Free Europe" played and I thought "Yeah, okay, maybe I'll like this". I didn't. I found the follow up "Pilgrimage" to be just terrible and the other stuff was an absolute drag. I thought "Perfect Circle" was okay, I liked they got a little weird on "9-9", and I actually enjoyed "We Walk". But.. well, nope. I might still give Reckoning a chance, and if that doesn't work, I'm callin' it quits.

I thought this was a great album. Not really sure how to describe my experience with their music, other than the fact that I was tapping my foot the whole time I was listening. As soon as "Mansions" came on, I knew I was going to love it. I find their approach to songs interesting: once they have an idea, they are going to get all they can out of that one idea, and then also have the music subtly evolve around that idea. The lyrics and singing are definitely unique, and one example that stands out in memory is "My New House". I sorta felt that the album went on a little long towards the end, but that's a minor complaint really. Anyway, I'll definitely be listening to more of their music.

Thanks much, Alan! I didn't really know where to begin with these guys, but I decided to listen to 16 Lovers Lane. In fact, I'm listening to it right now. This album is just bursting at the seams with classic pop songwriting. It's so good, and much more acoustic than I was expecting. The melodies are infectious, the hooks are solid, and the lyrics are wonderful. I think I read someone calling this the Rumours of the 80's, and I think that comparison is an excellent one. If you don't like "Streets of Your Town", you're probably a terrible person. So, again, thank you, I really love this album. Now I just gotta figure out where to go from here with their discography...

I liked this one a good deal. The whole album had a very dark atmosphere and there's something that always feels just a tad askew throughout. I think Jarvis Cocker's voice is a perfect match for the music and his darker lyrics, and it really brings it all together. I think you can probably tell if you're going to like this album within the first thirty seconds of "Fairground", and I was completely hooked and wanted to know what was going to come next.

Thanks much, Alan! I didn't really know where to begin with these guys, but I decided to listen to 16 Lovers Lane. In fact, I'm listening to it right now. This album is just bursting at the seams with classic pop songwriting. It's so good, and much more acoustic than I was expecting. The melodies are infectious, the hooks are solid, and the lyrics are wonderful. I think I read someone calling this the Rumours of the 80's, and I think that comparison is an excellent one. If you don't like "Streets of Your Town", you're probably a terrible person. So, again, thank you, I really love this album. Now I just gotta figure out where to go from here with their discography...

Cool - thanks for listening, Bubbly; I am delighted to hear your thoughts on these guys. I thought you might like the lyrics given their Dylan infatuation; mixed with typical Brisbane wry/dry sense of humour and uni posturings, it's just win/win/win

Due to locality, I was lucky to get across them almost chronologically - however, I suggest you next listen to Tallulah, jump all the way to the end with Ocean's Apart, then backwards to Liberty Belle and The Black Diamond Express, Spring Hill Fair, and then forward again to Friends of Rachel Worth.

After that you get into the hard core early stuff, and their 2nd last offering (Bright Yellow/Bright Orange) that didn't find Robert Forster at his most inspired - in my cruddy opinion.

You should also check out the video for "Head Full Of Steam", as should any Prince fan.

Glad you liked Dexys and Pulp. You're probably already aware that each Dexys album is famously very different from the others. As for Pulp, the next in the sequence is "Separations", of which side one is a slightly smoother "Freaks" and side two wanders into disco/house. I think both albums are oft-underrated for not being similar enough to the hit-making version of the band.

Keep listening to Prince, specifically the pop wonderlands of "Around the World in a Day" and "Parade"!

Shame you didn't like "Murmur", it's my favourite R.E.M., but if you didn't you didn't.

Shame you didn't like "Murmur", it's my favourite R.E.M., but if you didn't you didn't.[/quote]

Murmur's a great album - Laughing, a particular favourite of mine from that album.

I've noticed early REM can be a bit crowd splitting as the band were finding their sound, and Michael Stipe to find his voice - I'm a little bit of a guitar player and really got into Peter Buck's quite awesome playing - along with Smith's era Johnny Marr, I personally find their styles of playing quite the workout, and imagine this is part of the appeal for early REM.

Bubbly, I suggest checking out Life's Rich Pageant and Document and then go back to Fables of the Reconstruction (epic), then Reckoning. The Chronic Town EP is a good listen and you may appreciate the original Hib-tone single cut of Radio Free Europe - it's a bit more rude , crude and livelier than the Murmur version (which I still love tho'), despite the production team being the same on both.

If you can find the time, of course - seems like your listening card is full for the next year or so

Y'know when those times when you eat something really rich - let's say chocolate fudge cake, for instance. So, you think "hey, I should only eat a slice of this cake", so you do. And you're like "that was good, but I should stop". But then you don't stop, and you continue eating until you feel sick and you realize you've eaten the entire cake? Okay, well, that's what this album is like. I liked it at first, but then it just kept coming at me for an hour and I couldn't wait for the sweet relief of silence. I would probably have enjoyed this much more if they had made the record a bit more concise. Despite that, this is the album I liked the most from this batch.

So, I tried the Queen Is Dead because that's their "legendary" album. To be honest, I've never really been a fan, but I thought I would be fair and give them a chance. And, well, I don't get it. Why do you people like this? There is literally nothing that rises above average on this entire album. The lyrics that everyone finds so heartfelt on "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" just seem absurd to me. And Morrissey can take his dumb voice and his hollow artiness and prance right on out of my life. "Keats and Yates are on your side"? It's a reference for reference sake, it doesn't even mean anything. I dislike you, Morrissey.

Okay, so you said From Langley Park to Memphis, but when I did some quick reading on them, everything seemed to point towards Steve McQueen as being their best. So, that's the one I decided to go with when listening. Now, this is perfectly serviceable pop music, but that's really about all it is. It exists (at least I think it does) and that's all I can say for it. I couldn't find anything distinctive about this album. It was never terrible - well, if we don't count "Desire As" - but it never really grabbed me at any point while I was listening. Perhaps I would have liked From Langley Park to Memphis more, I dunno.

Really, this seems like an album I would like, but for some reason, I just couldn't really get into it. I actually don't have anything negative to say about this album. Elvis Costello has always been a bit of a trouble for me. He seems like someone I would enjoy, and I've tried many times before, and I will probably continue to try again. I might end up giving this another try somewhere down the line.

Wow, I thought this was just terrible. Paul Weller was in the Jam, you guys! He was in that band! Here, he just seems content on smashing you over the head with some hackneyed "message" songs. There's not even a hint of self-awareness anywhere on this album, and you get the feeling that he thinks he's doing the world a favor by speaking out. How many times have any of you even managed to listen to "the Stand-Up Comic's Instructions"? Egad. Now, I thought there was at least one good song on here, and that was "Down in the Seine". I wasn't paying attention the lyrics at all, but the music seemed fine. Let's be clear: that can't even be said about the entire album. There is a lot of wretched production and arrangements to be found throughout, like the absolutely baffling instrumentation on "Our Favorite Shop". Please, run away from this album if you ever find yourself near it.

I think the only way to go about a self-propelled '80s musical education such as this is to be exactly as discriminating as you're being. There's only so much time we have on earth, so there's no point in getting bogged down in the oeuvres of artists we don't care for. Give everything a chance, but its certainly OK to reject stuff that may well be good for other people but just isn't going to make your life better.

Re: the Chameleons. They're new to me too, the thing that has impressed me most by them so far is their first single, "In Shreds". I started listening to them because a friend of mine has co-edited and published the singer's autobiography and got me to proof-read some of it and I found it really fascinating. So of course I had to listen to all these songs whose genesis and recording (amidst typical music industry twists and turns) had been described so vividly. I recommend the book most highly. http://mittenson.com/mark-burgess-view-from-a-hill/

You're obviously never going to be a Smiths fan but I think you're being a bit harsh on the Keats and Yeats line. It's not just a random reference, the song concerns a literary dispute between two friends. Who probably don't have any other friends, so it shows how much it sucks to be Morrissey that he can't even agree with the one friend he can get to go and look at graves with. I imagine its based on a real conversation. Its also Moz's way of aligning himself with Wilde so people will hopefully see him as Wilde's spiritual heir (gay, anglo-Irish, witty) which is very bold and self-regarding but lots of people took the hint anyway. Its nowhere near as random a reference as practically every line in "Desolation Row", for example.

Well said Ian. That first paragraph sums this thread up about right. Josh picking albums he's never heard before from thirty or more years ago trying to find relevance (or just something new to play) today. I'm seeing it doesn't always work out.

I listened to The Chameleons for the first time a couple of days ago - they're okay, don't remember them at all from the 80's. I didn't follow The Smiths. Morrissey is too full of himself for me too, then and now. The Smiths came off like a circus sideshow. I saw a few videos on MTV, and that was about it. Somebody gave me their live album, but I didn't listen to it but once. Like everybody, I thought "How Soon Is Now?" was a great track. Johnny Marr was a good guitarist, but I don't care enough to look into what he's up to these days.

You're sorting Style Council into the same bag. I don't. "The Stand Up Comic's Instruction" was left off the American, and most country's version of the album. When you listen to "Strange Fruit," what picture comes to mind? A misguided statement anyway - not sure what Paul was thinking. That's not even him giving "the instruction" (I read it was a real comic) - screw it, lasts less than two minutes. Didn't hear it til years later. It is offensive. I gave the UK Our Favourite Shop a fresh listen this morning. Some of the lyrics do come off as dated. Ignore them - they're throwaway. I don't care what he's singing when my toes are tapping to "Walls Come Tumbling Down" or "Shout to the Top" - I'm dancing around the room. Sounds like Gamble and Huff were brought in to produce - that's Philly Soul! I love "Come to Milton Keynes" regardless of what he's singing about. The only song you liked was "Down the Seine"? You should give a second listen to "Boy Who Cried Wolf" "Luck" "Lodgers" or "With Everything to Lose" - even better, listen to the early singles from 1983 and my favorite record by them, Cafť Bleu (1984). And I love all of Mick's instrumentals. Those arrangements are not baffling - they are the instrumentation of 60's American Soul music. Not synths either, that's a real organ - live he couldn't get the thing to stop rockin' back and forth. Synths dominated the 80's sound, but not in Style Council. If Mick did, it was used sparingly. Like Talk Talk, I don't look at them as a synth group. Mick had plenty of grooves and rave-ups up his sleeve - "Me Ship Came In!" "Mick's Up" and "Mick's Blessing" to name but a few. Lyrically Paul was caught up in a political/socialist movement, and wouldn't move on. By the time he did, it was as a solo artist and into the 90's. Even he now admits it got in the way of his music. I preferred his ranting to The Clash or Sex Pistols tho, or many other bands of the time in the UK. I'm not all that much into politics - we had bad political leaders in 80's America too. Same as what created the Punk/Post-Punk rants back in the 70's. People gonna bitch when life's not good, no matter what decade we're talking about. Dylan did it in the 60's, right? He was doing it in the 80's too.

The Jam worked politics into their lyrics as well, and those are the tracks I liked least from them. For me, like early xtc, The Jam was a singles band. I liked Paul's ballads best on their records. Paul was influenced by The Kinks and The Beatles in the 70's - much like one Andy Partridge was. Andy took that and perfected it in the 80's. The first Jam album I cared enough to buy was The Gift (March 1982). Mostly because I liked "That's Entertainment" - one of the best singles from 1980. I also got the live album and the last singles "The Bitterest Pill" and loved especially "Beat Surrender" - both really the beginning of The Style Council/Weller's take on the Northern Soul movement that had been popular in clubs for quite a while. Costello's take on politics was similar - fairly socialist and straight forward, like "Ship building." Costello was getting caught up in the same political mess all of us were, and speaking up about it as best he could. Costello was a much better lyricist than Paul, I think he said what I was feeling politically. Partridge too, but that's not what I liked about xtc either. Notice how xtc keeps creeping into my mind flow... they are always part of the discussion when I remember the 80's.

Like another band discussed in this thread, Dexys Midnight Runners, Northern Soul was gaining ground in the early 80's UK scene. Horns began showing up on lots of UK records as the 80's got going. Horns had been popular in the early 70's with bands like The Kinks, though they were not using them the same way. Costello's records were very different to his 70's sound, save a ballad here and there. I'd say he was all over the map style-wise, the New Wave Pop of Trust, the American influenced Get Happy, even doing straight Country. But Costello grabbed Dexys' Horn Section when they blew apart after Searching for the Young Soul Rebels (Mick Talbot was briefly in Dexys around this time too). Listen to Costello's Punch the Clock, the follow up to Imperial Bedroom. Of the English groups I was listening to in 1983, xtc was one of the few that wasn't going Horns - full throttle. Even Genesis was now using horns on many tracks. I liked the direction Phil was pushing the band in, but many didn't. I like all the music Genesis left us. Phil's solo stuff not so much, it is somewhat dated, but I liked it in the 80's. By the 90's I thought he was way too slick. That's bad. Those solo records sit gathering dust around here. Should sell 'em. But nobody wants them do they? Phil is one of the reasons the 80's are looked back on unkindly. Okay let's get back to what I did like.

I think what Paul put together with Mick, Dee C. Lee, Steve White, and assorted guest vocalists, was great. I own most everything they did on vinyl - albums, singles, and EPs. I didn't buy the Deep House record (Modernism: A New Decade) (1989) when it was finally released. I have played (on youtube) that last concert in April 1989 - not too good, they wouldn't play the hits. Paul had a brief fling trying to be a jam band. But I still listen (and watch the films they made). I have a few of their CDs and DVDs, and when the spark hits I can stick in the VHS tapes - boy does that smell of the 80's. How many of you have VHS players?

The Style Council was born, lived and died in the 80's. In 1989 Paul went solo, taking Steve with him. In 1990 he woke up one morning thinking "who do I want to be today?" - A new decade a new way. Reinvented himself yet again. A Soul rocker with an acoustic heart, but more in the vein of Steve Winwood/Traffic. He was a major influence on the the Brit-Pop movement. I am a fan of his to this day.

Prefab Sprout... Well, I liked the group all the years they had Wendy. I hardly remember Steve McQueen except for the singles - "Appetite" and "When Love Breaks Down" are both solid. The only record I bought was From Langley Park to Memphis - that has a lot of great tracks. "The King of Rock'N'Roll" "Cars and Girls" "Hey Manhattan" and "The Golden Calf" - maybe you should give that one a listen before completely throwing them off the bus. Paddy was a great pure pop writer and singer. I can see what you say about them - plenty of folks do the same thing. Dream Academy was similar. I recently bought their 2 CD retrospective. For me, MTV made video a big part of what music was in the 80's. I still prefer to have a visual while listening to music if possible. Stepping a bit outside the 80's, the next thing I bought by Prefab Sprout was their hits package, A Life of Surprises (1992). Both the vinyl and VHS. They added "The Sound of Crying" and "If You Don't Love Me" (my favorite song by them). "Carnival 2000" is also on that. Yeah, try the hits package if you want to explore them again.

My 80's picks last Saturday night were xtc's The Big Express and Skylarking. Then stayed in the 60's and 70's for the rest of the night: the first two Sessions discs in the Nilsson RCA box, Procol Harum's first, and the DVD that came with the 1974 CSN&Y concert. Those I'm saving for another thread.

Glad to see everybody listening to all the old music. Giving it a try. And yes, I still like all of you too. Even if you don't like what I like. Did I come on too strong defending Weller? hope not.

« Last Edit: February 24, 2015, 06:05:22 PM by feelsflow »

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...if you are honest - you have no idea where childhood ends and maturity begins. It is all endless and all one. ~ P.L. Travers And, let's get this out of the way now, everything I post is my opinion. ~ Will

Well said Ian. That first paragraph sums this thread up about right. Josh picking albums he's never heard before from thirty or more years ago trying to find relevance (or just something new to play) today. I'm seeing it doesn't always work out.

I listened to The Chameleons for the first time a couple of days ago - they're okay, don't remember them at all from the 80's. I didn't follow The Smiths. Morrissey is too full of himself for me too, then and now. The Smiths came off like a circus sideshow. I saw a few videos on MTV, and that was about it. Somebody gave me their live album, but I didn't listen to it but once. Like everybody, I thought "How Soon Is Now?" was a great track. Johnny Marr was a good guitarist, but I don't care enough to look into what he's up to these days.

You're sorting Style Council into the same bag. I don't. "The Stand Up Comic's Instruction" was left off the American, and most country's version of the album. When you listen to "Strange Fruit," what picture comes to mind? A misguided statement anyway - not sure what Paul was thinking. That's not even him giving "the instruction" (I read it was a real comic) - screw it, lasts less than two minutes. Didn't hear it til years later. It is offensive. I gave the UK Our Favourite Shop a fresh listen this morning. Some of the lyrics do come off as dated. Ignore them - they're throwaway. I don't care what he's singing when my toes are tapping to "Walls Come Tumbling Down" or "Shout to the Top" - I'm dancing around the room. Sounds like Gamble and Huff were brought in to produce - that's Philly Soul! I love "Come to Milton Keynes" regardless of what he's singing about. The only song you liked was "Down the Seine"? You should give a second listen to "Boy Who Cried Wolf" "Luck" "Lodgers" or "With Everything to Lose" - even better, listen to the early singles from 1983 and my favorite record by them, Cafť Bleu (1984). And I love all of Mick's instrumentals. Those arrangements are not baffling - they are the instrumentation of 60's American Soul music. Not synths either, that's a real organ - live he couldn't get the thing to stop rockin' back and forth. Synths dominated the 80's sound, but not in Style Council. If Mick did, it was used sparingly. Like Talk Talk, I don't look at them as a synth group. Mick had plenty of grooves and rave-ups up his sleeve - "Me Ship Came In!" "Mick's Up" and "Mick's Blessing" to name but a few. Lyrically Paul was caught up in a political/socialist movement, and wouldn't move on. By the time he did, it was as a solo artist and into the 90's. Even he now admits it got in the way of his music. I preferred his ranting to The Clash or Sex Pistols tho, or many other bands of the time in the UK. I'm not all that much into politics - we had bad political leaders in 80's America too. Same as what created the Punk/Post-Punk rants back in the 70's. People gonna bitch when life's not good, no matter what decade we're talking about. Dylan did it in the 60's, right? He was doing it in the 80's too.

The Jam worked politics into their lyrics as well, and those are the tracks I liked least from them. For me, like early xtc, The Jam was a singles band. I liked Paul's ballads best on their records. Paul was influenced by The Kinks and The Beatles in the 70's - much like one Andy Partridge was. Andy took that and perfected it in the 80's. The first Jam album I cared enough to buy was The Gift (March 1982). Mostly because I liked "That's Entertainment" - one of the best singles from 1980. I also got the live album and the last singles "The Bitterest Pill" and loved especially "Beat Surrender" - both really the beginning of The Style Council/Weller's take on the Northern Soul movement that had been popular in clubs for quite a while. Costello's take on politics was similar - fairly socialist and straight forward, like "Ship building." Costello was getting caught up in the same political mess all of us were, and speaking up about it as best he could. Costello was a much better lyricist than Paul, I think he said what I was feeling politically. Partridge too, but that's not what I liked about xtc either. Notice how xtc keeps creeping into my mind flow... they are always part of the discussion when I remember the 80's.

Like another band discussed in this thread, Dexys Midnight Runners, Northern Soul was gaining ground in the early 80's UK scene. Horns began showing up on lots of UK records as the 80's got going. Horns had been popular in the early 70's with bands like The Kinks, though they were not using them the same way. Costello's records were very different to his 70's sound, save a ballad here and there. I'd say he was all over the map style-wise, the New Wave Pop of Trust, the American influenced Get Happy, even doing straight Country. But Costello grabbed Dexys' Horn Section when they blew apart after Searching for the Young Soul Rebels (Mick Talbot was briefly in Dexys around this time too). Listen to Costello's Punch the Clock, the follow up to Imperial Bedroom. Of the English groups I was listening to in 1983, xtc was one of the few that wasn't going Horns - full throttle. Even Genesis was now using horns on many tracks. I liked the direction Phil was pushing the band in, but many didn't. I like all the music Genesis left us. Phil's solo stuff not so much, it is somewhat dated, but I liked it in the 80's. By the 90's I thought he was way too slick. That's bad. Those solo records sit gathering dust around here. Should sell 'em. But nobody wants them do they? Phil is one of the reasons the 80's are looked back on unkindly. Okay let's get back to what I did like.

I think what Paul put together with Mick, Dee C. Lee, Steve White, and assorted guest vocalists, was great. I own most everything they did on vinyl - albums, singles, and EPs. I didn't buy the Deep House record (Modernism: A New Decade) (1989) when it was finally released. I have played (on youtube) that last concert in April 1989 - not too good, they wouldn't play the hits. Paul had a brief fling trying to be a jam band. But I still listen (and watch the films they made). I have a few of their CDs and DVDs, and when the spark hits I can stick in the VHS tapes - boy does that smell of the 80's. How many of you have VHS players?

The Style Council was born, lived and died in the 80's. In 1989 Paul went solo, taking Steve with him. In 1990 he woke up one morning thinking "who do I want to be today?" - A new decade a new way. Reinvented himself yet again. A Soul rocker with an acoustic heart, but more in the vein of Steve Winwood/Traffic. He was a major influence on the the Brit-Pop movement. I am a fan of his to this day.

Prefab Sprout... Well, I liked the group all the years they had Wendy. I hardly remember Steve McQueen except for the singles - "Appetite" and "When Love Breaks Down" are both solid. The only record I bought was From Langley Park to Memphis - that has a lot of great tracks. "The King of Rock'N'Roll" "Cars and Girls" "Hey Manhattan" and "The Golden Calf" - maybe you should give that one a listen before completely throwing them off the bus. Paddy was a great pure pop writer and singer. I can see what you say about them - plenty of folks do the same thing. Dream Academy was similar. I recently bought their 2 CD retrospective. For me, MTV made video a big part of what music was in the 80's. I still prefer to have a visual while listening to music if possible. Stepping a bit outside the 80's, the next thing I bought by Prefab Sprout was their hits package, A Life of Surprises (1992). Both the vinyl and VHS. They added "The Sound of Crying" and "If You Don't Love Me" (my favorite song by them). "Carnival 2000" is also on that. Yeah, try the hits package if you want to explore them again.

My 80's picks last Saturday night were xtc's The Big Express and Skylarking. Then stayed in the 60's and 70's for the rest of the night: the first two Sessions discs in the Nilsson RCA box, Procol Harum's first, and the DVD that came with the 1974 CSN&Y concert. Those I'm saving for another thread.

Glad to see everybody listening to all the old music. Giving it a try. And yes, I still like all of you too. Even if you don't like what I like. Did I come on too strong defending Weller? hope not.

Glad to see someone coming to The Style Council's defense. Just a whole great big pile of fine pop soul that was one of the true highlights of the 80s (for me at least). I love Tears For Fears but their "Kick out the Style, bring back the Jam" line just BS. The Jam had some fine records too, but I much prefer to listen to The Style Council.

No problem. I liked Style Council more than the Jam too. All of Paul's phases have had rewards. I would have said more, but this thread is just for the 80's. I don't think we have a Weller thread here. Not that I've seen.

Glad to hear a like minded vote. They need it I'm sure. Paul, you here reading with us?

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...if you are honest - you have no idea where childhood ends and maturity begins. It is all endless and all one. ~ P.L. Travers And, let's get this out of the way now, everything I post is my opinion. ~ Will